Recollection Collection
by skyrie-chan
Summary: A group of stories from when all the characters were younger, to show just how they each became messed up. Enjoy.
1. Amy

**The Recollection Collection**

**A/N: I know, I haven't worked on my other stories in a while, but I'm dealing with a bad case of writer's block. This is a collection of stories, with each character getting their own bit of love! Basically addresses the issues with each character, and shows what they were like before TBBT. Also, I edited it for typo reasons. **

***obligatory generic disclaimer stating no copyright infringement***

**Chapter 1: Amy**

Amy sighed and brushed through her mouse brown hair. "As always, this is the best it's going to get," she sighed, looking into the mirror at her fifteen year old self. Thick rimmed glasses, bumped nose, and an unremarkable face. Same as always. Grabbing her backpack, she called out, "Bye, mom," on her way out, to which there was no response. There never was.

Amy looked out at her all too familiar surroundings, watching the scenery. These times were so calming, so relaxing, until she arrived at the forced upon institution called school. Looking around her, she wondered where to set up today; it was not like she had anyone to meet up with to see, and she couldn't very well talk to the janitor, his wife had made sure of that. She was alone. Sitting on a bench to wait for the bell to signal the start of class time, she pulled out her latest book and started to read, effectively blocking out her "peers".

Amy glanced up periodically from her book, and froze when a group of girls her own age walked past her. Amy gasped quietly, and watched them walk together in unison. _Oh, _she thought. _I wonder what that's like, to have a group of friends to do everything together, to do all the little mundane things with and to partake in privy gossip and chit chat. _

The bell to signal the begin of the school day interrupted her chain of thoughts. Grabbing her backpack, Amy walked to her first and favorite class: Biology. Sitting at her assigned desk, she looked at her classmates, she had never really took the time to notice who she had shared a classroom with. Her eyes raked over the crowd, until they landed on one of the girls she had spotted before in the hall, one of the girls she had watched walk past her, sitting in the seat next to her own, in the row adjacent to hers. Amy took a deep breath, and steeled her nerves. "Hi..." she adressed the other girl. "I'm Amy."

The other, prettier girl, gave her a hard stare. Blue eyes, skin as smooth as alabaster, and honey colored hair. "Yeah, I know who you are," she replied. "You always make a point to answer each of the teacher's questions, make the rest of us look stupid, don't you, teacher's pet."

Amy backed away, in slight confusion. "I did not intend to make anyone look stupid, perhaps everyone does that without my teacher asks us questions, to see who has knowledge of the correct answer. If I know the correct answer, why should I not provide it?"

The other girl shared a smirk with her friend sitting behind her. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get what you're sayin'. Hey, look here, Sadie-"

"It's Amy, actually."

"-you see that guy over there?" the other girl pointed to a boy wearing a blue polo shirt and jeans. He had a rugged look, with dark tanned skin, a bright smile, and dark curly hair. "Yes?" replied Amy, hesitantly, blushing and staring at him just a little too long. She has never paid attention to the opposite sex before now, but couldn't help but notice how attractive he looked.

"Well," said the other girl. "His name's Gerard. He told me he actually likes you, but he's, like, waaay too nervous to tell you 'cuz you're so smart. After class, you should, like, tooootally talk to him, 'cuz I know he wants to ask you out!"

Amy pondered over this for a minute. She wondered how on earth a guy like that could like a girl like her in _that_ way. She wasn't too familiar with social constructs, however, and this girl seemed to be, so she decided to take her word for it. "Alright," Amy replied slowly. "I'll talk to this Gerard...Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!"

Amy smiled shyly. "Thank you, umm...I'm sorry, I don't even know your name."

"I'm Katie."

"Thank you, Katie, you know-"

But Katie had already turned around.

After biology, it took all of Amy's nerves and willpower (and then some, it seemed) to approach Gerard. "You are Gerard?" she asked him while he was surrounded by his friends.

He smiled, unsure of how to respond. "Uh, yeah, last time I checked," he replied, cracking a sheepish smile.

The joke had no effect on Amy. "I am Amy Farrah Fowler, a girl named Katie in our biology class told me that you have been secretly pining for me as of late?"

There was a long pregnant silence, which was soon broken by the sounds of his friends' laughter. Gerard had the decency to look embarrassed for her sake. "Uh, no, actually I don't. Sorry. C'mon, guys, leave her alone." He hurriedly shooed his friends away from her, shooting back an apolegetic look on his face.

Amy turned away from the crowd of still laughing adolescent males, to find another horrific sight. Katie, along with the other females she had spotted this morning, were waving their cameras and doubled over laughing. "Oh man," gasped Katie in between bouts of laughter. "I can't wait to get this film developed!"

Amy turned away, red in the face, sure that she had become victim to a cruel high school prank. She fled to her next class, where she sat at her desk, keeping her nose in her new book, planning on staying there for the next four years. Maybe longer, when she got to college.

**A/N: Well? What'd you think? I realise I may have implied that Amy's mother was sort of neglectful, or ignored her in some way. But they never talk about her much in the show, so I improvised. I started with Amy because I can relate to her the best. Let me know how I did please! (And yes, I intentionally named the boy after her elctric toothbrush ;) )**

**Until, next time, my readers!**


	2. Sheldon

**Recollection Collection Chapter 2**

**A/N: And now here's Sheldon's little story, enjoy, please! I edited it for a little addition reasons. Try to see the difference!**

***obligatory generic disclaimer claiming no characters are mine and no copyright infringement is intended* **

"Smelly Shelly! Smelly Shelly!"Nine year old Sheldon couldn't be bothered to to look up from his library borrowed book of physics. He had read it before, but each time was still just as fascinating as the last. He couldn't let their cruelty interrupt his favorite part. He simply ignored the taunts from his classmates. It didn't even make very much sense, he bathed on a daily basis. Therefore he was anything but "smelly".

"Hey, Sheldon!"

Recognizing someone was actually addressing him using his given name and not some sort of cruel taunt, Sheldon lifted his nose out of the pages.

"Yes?" he asked the younger girl standing in front of him.

"Sheldon, you wanna come play tag with us?"

Sheldon stared at her impassively, cocking his head to the side, seeming to analyze her as though she were another species. "Was that sarcasm?"

The younger girl's eyes went wide. "No, why?"

"Darn, I can never seem to get it right."

Sheldon looked thoughtful for a moment. He opened his mouth to ask as to why she wanted him to join her, and how one would play this game of "tag", but his words were cut off by another girl taking the elbow of the first, pulling her away.

"Eww, no Sarah, not him! No one ain't gonna wanna play wit' him, he's a freak!" The newcomer dragged Sarah away, casting a disdainful look back at Sheldon. Shrugging his shoulders uncaringly, he picked up back at where he left off. _Just as well, _he thought. _I have better things to do then run around like a chicken with its head chopped off. _

He glanced back up at his "peers" and watched their game, momentarily imagining himself amongst them, running wildly. He shifted his bottom on the hard cement bench, and turned the page. _I don't need them, _he thought resolutely. _I don't. _

**A/N: I hope I caught Sheldon in all of his...Sheldon-like glory. There's the review button. Click it, you know you want to. **


	3. Leonard

**Recollection Chapter 3: Leonard**

**A/N: Yup. it's Leonard's turn! Thank you all for reading/ reviewing/ putting on alert! It's always nice to know that people enjoy my work :)**

Leonard climbed into the car, fitting his cello case in the back seat. "Hello, mother," he said whilst buckling his seatbelt. Beverly Hofstadter remained silent as she started the car, only using words when absolutely necessary. "You know," Leonard piped up again. "The teacher said he was gonna let me play as the lead cellist for our next recit_AL_." His voice cracked at the end, another plague of entering puberty.

"Are you sure?" she asked flatly. "Perhaps this teacher isn't as good as we thought. Perhaps we should ask for a refund. You need to practice more."

"He said I'm good," he said quietly.

"Really, Leonard, either find a new topic of conversation or stay silent. You can relay the same banal information to your father." Leonard deflated in his seat.

"Yes, mother," he whispered.

They arrived at the Hofstadter residence and unloaded the car in silence. Leonard rushed into the house, eager to tell his father the news. "Father, geuss wh_AT_! The teacher said-"

"Hold on, Leonard," his mother interrupted him. "Let me get the electrodes."

"What for?" Leonard asked.

"I want to measure your brain waves when you experience an emotion such as pride," Beverly replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Leonard waited patiently, albeit jumping up and down anxiously, waiting to burst with the news. As soon as Beverly had the electrodes in the right places, and she gave him the signal, he burst out, "The teacher has given me the lead cellist part for our next recit_AL_!"

His father gave him a look of pure pride which warmed Leonard inside. "That's great, son, seems that your lessons have been paying off!" Beverly stoically took the electrodes off after another minute to allow Leonard's brain waves to return back to normal.

Her son jumped up and grabbed his cello case, dragging it to his room. "I'd better get practicing!" he called out, and soon they heard his music fill the house.

The next few days, whatever time wasn't being spent on eating or schoolwork, was used to practice. He threw himself into the music wholeheartedly, feeling an unfamiliar pride well up in his chest when he imagined himself playing in front of an audience. He was able to picture the look of pride on his mother's face when she saw him on the stage.

The next week, at his next cello recital rehearsal, Leonard positioned his cello and himself in the lead cellist spot. "Leonard," his teacher said. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Of course, and sir I just want you to know how grateful I am that you gave me lead cellist. I promise I won't let you down!"

His teacher led him away, to where they could talk more privately. "I'm sorry, Leonard, but you don't have the lead."

Leonard looked flabbergasted. "W-what...? But, last week, you said so yourself, that-"

"I know what I said, it's just that, well your mother asked me to tell you that you did. She also requested that I not tell you until today. I'm sorry, Leonard. But, you could always play the part you had originally planned on."

Leonard nodlently and moved his equipment back to his old spot. He spent the entire rehearsal staring at the floor. There was no need for the sheet music; he'd already memorized it. He wasn't really seeing the point in it, he obviously wasn't going to get better at it.

When Beverly arrived to pick up her son, she remained as passive as ever. Leonard was silent, staring out of the window. "Well. Leonard," his mother remarked. "I assume you'd like to exchange pleasantries, but I ask that you wait until we get home."

It took all of Leonard's willpower to not snap at his mother, to voice his feeling, to express the betrayal he felt at her actions. She knew perfectly well how long and hard he'd auditioned for that position, how long he'd vied for it.

When they arrived at their hose, Beverly turned to her youngest. "Let me get the electrodes, then we'll talk."

Leonard had a hard time to force his thoughts to his mouth, but eventually came out with, "Electrodes? For what?"

Beverly paused hallfway of getting out of the car. "I'm comparing you brain waves from when you experience an emotion such as pride, to your brain waves when experiencing a polar opposite side of the emotion spectrum, such as dissapointment," she replied matter of factly. "Come, Leonard." They both knew what she had done, she wasn't going to hide it.

Leonard followed his mother into the hose, now attempting to block out the noises he heard around him. She led him to the chair where she had her equipment set up, and guided him to a chair. Once she had the electrodes in the right positions on his temples, she grabbed her pen and clipboard and sat across from him.

"Now, son," she started as she clicked her pen. "would you like to talk about your rehearsal?"

Leonard's face remained emotionless, but simply stared at the woman he called a "mother".

"Leonard? Leonard, would you like to talk about it?"

**A/N: well, there's Leonard's little tale! Tell, me readers, which character would you like to see next? Penny, Howard, Raj, I don't even know if I should include Bernadette or Priya, they seem the most emotionally stable out of the entire cast. There's the review button. Click it, please. **


	4. Howard

**Chapter four: Howard**

**A/N: Again, thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoy it!**

"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" eleven year old Howard opened the door to his house, setting his backpack down on a nearby chair. "Mom? Dad?" His calls were met with an eerie silence. "Howard...," he heard his mother call out softly. Following the noise, he found her lying on her bed, cradling a pillow to her chest, crying silently.

"Mom? Mom, what's wrong? Where's Dad?"

The mention of his father sent more tears streaming down her cheeks, staining the pillow.

"He left." She answered so emotionlessly, as if she were trying to distance herself from the situation.

"Left? To where? When will he be back?"

Mrs. Wollowitz could only cry more in response. She stuttered in between gasps, "H-he's not c-coming b-b-back! H-he l-left!" Howard didn't know what to do. So he did the only thing he could think of: he held onto his mother, gently stroking her back.

_How long has she sat here, _he thought. _How long was she left alone, crying?_ He promised himself, at that moment, he'd never let her go, never let her be alone again.

**A/N: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! I realise it's not very long, but there wasn't very much to work with. I decided to only address the issue of living with his mother, and not focus so much on the womanizin part of him. I wanted to show exactly **_**why**_** he stayed with her all this time.**


	5. Penny

Chapter 5: Penny

A/N: I was going to write Raj's story first, as per some of your requests, but Penny's came to me a lot easier. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it.

I own nothing...STILL! Nor do I own any of the Romeo and Juliet scene.

Penny practically skipped up the steps to her house, brimming with joy. She couldn't wait to tell her family the good news. When she burst into her home, Penny tossed her pom poms to the side, not caring where they landed. "Mom! Dad!" she crowed.

"In here, Penny," she heard from the kitchen. Following the sound Penny found her mother sitting at the kitchen table, reading a magazine. "Mom, guess what!" Her mother glanced up at her youngest before returning to the glossy pages. Her mother sighed. "What."

"I got the lead! You are now looking at Juliet Capulet!" Penny struck a pose, lacing her fingers underneath her chin, a faraway and wistful look on her face.

"Oh Romeo," she breathed. "Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo? A rose by any other name would be just as sweet..." Breaking character, Penny smiled at her mother. "Isn't it great?"

Mrs. Smith flipped another page of her magazine and took a sip of her cofee. "Mmhm..." Penny sat in the chair opposite her mother. "You, daddy, and the others will come see me on opening night, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Penny jumped up. "Great! I gotta go rehearse my lines. They're really confusing. Later!"

Penny took a long, calming breath as her friend Alice came up, dressed in costume. "You ready, Penn?"

Penny sighed. "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's do this." Alice hugged her tightly. "Break a leg, Juliet."

"You too."

"What's here? a cup, closed in my true love's hand?  
>Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end:<br>O churl! drunk all, and left no friendly drop  
>To help me after? I will kiss thy lips;<br>Haply some poison yet doth hang on them,  
>To make die with a restorative."<p>

Penny/Juliet leaned down to kiss Mark/Romeo, and glanced up barely to take a look at the audience. Thankfully her eyes were covered by her hair curtaining her face. Scanning the audience quickly, Penny/Juliet caught no sight of her family; of any of them. Penny/Juliet kissed Mark/Romeo's lips softly, taking in a selfish second to feel just how soft his lips really were.

"Thy lips are warm."

"Lead, boy: which way?"

"Yea, noise? then I'll be brief. O happy dagger!" Penny/Juliet snatched the dagger off the floor. "This is thy sheath." Penny/Juliet "stabbed" herself and for the first time in any of her performances, audition, rehearsal or otherwise, she found she didn't have to force the tears. They came naturally all on their own. Her family had failed her, failed to see what was to be the biggest night of her life so far. "There rust, and let me die." The tears rolled down her cheeks and onto the plastic dagger as Penny/Juliet fell to the ground.

While she lay there, "dead", Penny felt her resolve harden. When she was on the stage, taking her bow with the rest of the cast, Penny knew for the first time what she was going to do. She _was_ going to make them notice her, to make them admit they were related to her, to feel proud of her, someway.

A/N: I realise I missed some stage directions, but I admittedly got lazy and didn't want to type it all up, so I hope everyone found it sufficient. Thank you all for reading I hope you enjoyed it! Next up is Raj, but I honestly have no idea what to make as his story.

I can haz reviews? LOL


	6. Bernadette

Chapter 6: Bernadette

A/N: I know, I know, I promised this chapter would be Raj's, but after The Shiny Trinket Manipulation, I found this one irresistable. I just have so much trouble with Raj's because I don't want to use to the same idea over and over (parental neglect, student torment). So any idea as to what could be the cause of Raj's very obvious problem, I would be very thankful. :)

All characters are the property of the creators of the big bang theory. I own nothing. If I did, it wouldn't be fanfiction, would it?

"Bernadette. Bernadette. _Bernadette!"_ Laura Rowstentowski shook her eldest daughter awake. "Mm? Wha-?"

"Bernadette, wake up. I have to go to work and the kids will be up soon." The younger blonde woman groaned. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously!" her mother sat on the bed beside her. "Listen, Bernie. You know I appreciate everything you do here. And if I had a better solution, I'd use it, but-"

Bernadette waved her away with her hand. "Yeah, I know. It's fine. I'll see you later. Bye mom." Bernadette got up to get dressed, savoring each of the few moments of peace she could get by herself. _Better choose something sturdy,_ she thought.

"Goodbye, sweetie."

It was anything _but _fine.

"But Beerrrniiieeee! I don't wanna have cereal! I want 'sghetti!"

"Well when Mommy gets home, maybe she'll make you spaghetti," Bernadette sighed as she pulled another Froot Loop from her younger sister, Rose's hair. "But I want 'sghetti _nooowww_!"

"Well you're not getting it 'noowww' are you?" she replied, her voice dripping sweetly with venom. "Now pipe down and eat you cereal!"

"Beeeewwwnie! Wobbie keeps dwinking my owange juice!" her younger brother, Kevin, whined. "Robbie, do you want all of your juice taken away for the rest of the day?" Bernie snapped.

"No..." he mumbled in reply.

"Then settle down!"

_SPLAT!_

Bernadette turned in time to watch her sister's cereal bowl fall and start to spin on the floor. The remaining cereal stuck to the wall, sliding down, whilst a puddle of milk slowly spread along the linoleum. "I want 'SGHETTI! I want 'SGHETTI!" Rose kept chanting until she got Robbie and Kevin to join in, all three youngsters chanting "'SGHETTI! 'SGHETTI! 'SGHETTI!"

_SPLAT SPLAT!_

Soon, the other two bowls of cereal joined the first, colorful cereal flying, and splattering their sister with milk.

"ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT!" Bernadette screeched. "That's it! You wanna fight with me? Well now NO ONE'S getting breakfast!" She scooped up Rose in one arm, and grabbed both Robbie's and Kevin's smaller wrists in the other hand and led them each to a different corner.

"Now you're gonna stay there until I say you can come away!" A chorus of wailing could be heard from all over the room. "Waaaahhhh! I want Mommy!"

"Bernie, you're a big meanie!"

"W-w-w-waaaahhhhh!"

She cleaned up all of the Froot Loops, put the bowls in the sink, and mopped up the puddle of milk. Bernadette flopped into a seat at the kitchen table and looked at the clock. Barely even going to be 10 AM...it was way too early for this. And people have kids on _purpose?_ She couldn't imagine her adult life being spent like this, all day, every day. Never. She'd be happy when she got older, and not spending each of her days, especially her Saturdays like this. She had done her fair share of parenting already, and she's not even seventeen yet.

A/N: So there's Bernadette's story, I hope you enjoyed it. First person to review gets 10 internetz! Click away!


	7. Raj

Chapter 7: Raj

A/N: FINALLY! This one was harder than the rest, but inspiration finally struck in the wee hours of the morning. So, here you go. After this there will only be one more chapter left and I will be done with this story. And...ACTION!

I don't own Big Bang Theory, if I did it wouldn't be called fanfiction, would it?

A young, ten year old Rajesh Koothrapalli hurried to class. He was late twice this week, and being late for a third time meant he would be forced to stay after and clean the whole classroom with Ms. Padere. It wasn't that she was mean or anything, or that there was normally a lot to clean to make the task extremely ardurous, but something about her seemed...off. It made being alone with her a little unsettling. He and many of his friends notived, though their childlike minds had simply chalked it up to the fact that they didn''t like adult authority figures. Raj skidded around the corner, only to come face to face with a crowd of lingering upperclassmen on their break.

_I'll never make it through this on time, _he thought. _But I'll have to try. _And so he slowly made his way through the crowd, stopping twice when an upperclassmen knocked his books out of his arms. When he finally ran into class, he was already two minutes late. "Rajesh," Ms. Padere berated him. "You're late. I look forward to cleaning the class with you. Take your seat."

"Yes, Ms. Padere. I'm sorry to interrupt," he mumbled his obligatory apology and sat down.

The rest of the school day passed without incident. Raj swept his broom back and forth and sighed. He would have to be late on the day they used glitter and confetti for art day. It would take him forever to sweep this up.

"Rajesh, you should start over here, by the chalkboard, behind my desk. I spilled a lot when making that example for everyone," said Ms. Padere.

"Yes, Ms. Padere." Raj obeyed, sweeping the tiny, sparkling bits together. His teacher watched from her desk chair. "Rajesh," she called to him. "You're quite a handsome young man. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Raj cracked a small smile. "Thank you, Ms. Padere. My mother tells my siblings and I each, periodically."

"You're very welcome," she practically purred, moving closer. "Oh yes, such a handsome young man..." Ms. Padere ran a hand down the front of his shirt. "M-Ms. P-P-Padere?"

"Sshhh. You can't say anything, Rajesh. That would get you in trouble..." her hand started to move dangerously lower. "Understand?" Raj let out a whimpering sound he was soon to become familiar with, but otherwise remained silent. "That's a good child..." she murmured. "Don't worry..."

When it was over, Raj was left on the ground, his clothes strewn about haphazardly. Ms. Padere straightened out her clothes and stepped over him. "This will remain out little secret, right?" Raj only squeaked. "Good boy. Because you know if you tell anyone, the consequences will be much worse." She started for the door when she paused. "Oh yes, and Rajesh? I still expect that floor to be clean when you leave." And she was gone.

Raj picked himself off the floor, brushing confetti and glitter off his body, and shakily put on his school uniform. He took a deep breath, and continued to sweep, trying to think of everything and anything that just happened.

When he finally came out the classroom hours later, now free from a single sparkly speck, he ran right into a girl a grade above him. They collided, and she reached out a hand to steady both of them. Raj stared at her hand, the feel and sight of her feminine looking hands on him making him feel sick and filled with fear.

"Whoa! Sorry, Raj. What are you doing here this late? Cleaning? Me too."

He couldn't respond. The sound of her soft voice filled him with dread, convinced he knew what was coming next. She took a step forward, and Raj felt as though he were trying to shrink into himself. Then the girl patted his shoulder. "See you tomorrow." And she left.

Raj made his way home, barely noticing the servants, and went straight to his room. "Waj! Wah!" Little Priya, who was only five, ran to her big brother, wanting a hug. He always gave her a hug. But instead he walked straight past her and to his bedroom. He locked the door, and laid on his bed, and began to cry.

A/N: Sooooo, there you go, hope you enjoyed it. I know I seemed kinda cruel in this one. I apologise for that, and I apologise if I may have missed any culteral things I may have missed. Please, as always, review.


	8. All together, now

Chapter 8: All Together, Now!

A/N: I'm pretty sure I covered all the characters that needed to be covered. I thought of adding Priya, but I didn't for various reasons. One, she seems the most normal out of all of them, and two, I just don't like her. So, this is the last chapter for this series. This is everyone all grown up, showing all together how their childhood past kinda echoes who they are. Thank you all for reading/reviewing/ putting on alert, and sticking with me through this whole thing. All of your reviews made me so happy and gave me the wherewithal to keep writing! :D

None of this is mine...YET

"No, dad, I'm not moving back. Because I'm happy here...No, no callbacks lately...Because I'm sure the right one will come along...Yeah...Yeah...OK, tell mom I told her I love her. 'Kay, bye." Penny walked into 4A, stomach growling at the promise of hot chinese food. Everyone was in their seats, Sheldon was, expectedly, in his spot, Amy to his immediate right, Raj on her right, Leonard in the armchair, and Howard in Leonard's desk chair. They had purposefully left the wooden armchair empty for the neighbor. Opening the door, the first thing she heard was Howard and Bernadette arguing. "Come on, Bernie! Don't you want a little girl or boy to love, and take care of?"

"No," she retorted. "Maybe _you _look forward to snots and hair pulling and whining, but I don't."

Sheldon soon drowned them both out with his whining. "Penny," he started. "Dinner was delivered over a half an hour ago. Social protocol dictates we wait for everyone to arrive before we begin the consumption of our meals. Since we have been waiting for you for a while, and almost all of our food is approaching an unacceptable temperature!"

Penny sighed. "Jeez, Sheldon, it's called a microwave, you know. Can't you _try_ to be a little more understanding? Those of us that actually do drive have to deal with things like traffic." Leonard gave her a little smile as he passed her her food and fork. "Don't worry," he said. "If he's a ggod boy, maybe the blue fairy will grant him a wish to become a real boy."

This brought on a round of laughter. Sheldon suddenly busied himself with setting up his food in the correct orientation. "Penny, would you like to go out for a 'girls day' tomorrow?" Amy asked when Penny sat down. Penny grimaced, giving her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Amy. I've got a friend's party to go to. It's kinda not your kind of scene."

Amy visibly deflated, then sat straighter with hopefullness. "Well, I can adapt quite easily. Perhaps I can tag along?"

"I'm really sorry, Amy, she said I can only bring one person, and I've already got a date."

This time, Amy didn't reinflate. "That's understandable."

Howard looked at his phone. "Welp, I gotta go, my mom needs to me to help scrub the dried skin off her heels." Everyone cringed in disgust. "Howard, do you really think it necessary to tell us these things?" Sheldon inquired. Howard sneered in response and left the apartment.

Penny turned to Raj, sitting next to her now. "So, Raj? How have you been?" She raised her hand in a general "thumbs up" motion and smiled. "Eh?" Raj made a sideways thumb "so-so" gesture. "Oh, that's too bad," Penny replied, laying a hand consolingly on his shoulder. She didn't notice anything off about his reaction, but what she didn't see and notice was his heartbeat increase and his pupils contract in fear. All she saw was him give a weak sheepish smile.

_RING RING RING RING RING! _

Leonard beat Sheldon to the phone, took one look at the caller i.d and ignored the constant ringing. "Well, who is it, Leonard?" Sheldon asked. "Just a telemarketer," he replied.

"Oh. Well, alright, then," Sheldon believed him.

And this is what they considered completely normal. This is how they would all operate until they all would grow old together. Maybe this wasn't who they all imagined growing old with, but that didn't matter to any of them. Maybe they were each messed up in their own ways, but without each and every one of their faults, they wouldn't love each other, and wouldn't be a family to begin with.

A/N: So that's the end of this series I'm glad to know many people enjoyed it, and I hope many more will come across and enjoy it as well. Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement, and make sure to keep an eye out for more work from yours truly!


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